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Original post made
on Oct 7, 2012

SKY'S THE LIMIT ... How high is too high? That is the central question these days for Palo Alto officials awash in building proposals. Normally, the city's 50-foot height limit  a long-standing sacred cow of local zoning regulations  offers a simple answer to this question. But with developers looking to place four giant office towers at 27 University Ave. and two huge office buildings on Page Mill Road, these aren't normal times. Faced with these proposals, a hot real estate market and heavy demand for affordable housing, city officials are now considering ways to loosen the height limit and encourage more growth. The Architectural Review Board tackled this subject Thursday morning, with several members expressing support for allowing exceptions to the 50-foot height limit or, as one member suggested, scrapping it entirely. Most board members were open to taller buildings, particularly in downtown and along El Camino Real. "I'm really in favor of us trying to find a different way to manage this and to create opportunities for different heights, where mass and scale can be balanced appropriately in recognition of neighborhood concerns," said board member Randy Popp, who works downtown. But any solution, he said, should carefully consider the parking impacts of the taller buildings. Board member Alex Lew said there are plenty of examples of seven-to-10-story buildings in neighboring communities and advocated surveying other areas for examples that work well in downtown locations. Board member Clare Malone Prichard was particularly enthusiastic about changing the height regulations. "I'm of a mind to not have a height limit anymore," she said, noting that the city's density regulations already limit building sizes. But she acknowledged that making the change would be a tall task. "There's a big fear in this town of tall buildings so that's not going to fly," she said.

"SKY'S THE LIMIT ... How high is too high? That is the central question these days for Palo Alto officials awash in building proposals. Normally, the city's 50-foot height limit  a long-standing sacred cow of local zoning regulations  offers a simple answer to this question. But with developers looking to place four giant office towers at 27 University Ave. and two huge office buildings on Page Mill Road, these aren't normal times. Faced with these proposals, a hot real estate market and heavy demand for affordable housing, city officials are now considering ways to loosen the height limit and encourage more growth. The Architectural Review Board tackled this subject Thursday morning, with several members expressing support for allowing exceptions to the 50-foot height limit or, as one member suggested, scrapping it entirely. Most board members were open to taller buildings, particularly in downtown and along El Camino Real. "I'm really in favor of us trying to find a different way to manage this and to create opportunities for different heights, where mass and scale can be balanced appropriately in recognition of neighborhood concerns," said board member Randy Popp, who works downtown. But any solution, he said, should carefully consider the parking impacts of the taller buildings. Board member Alex Lew said there are plenty of examples of seven-to-10-story buildings in neighboring communities and advocated surveying other areas for examples that work well in downtown locations. Board member Clare Malone Prichard was particularly enthusiastic about changing the height regulations. "I'm of a mind to not have a height limit anymore," she said, noting that the city's density regulations already limit building sizes. But she acknowledged that making the change would be a tall task. "There's a big fear in this town of tall buildings so that's not going to fly," she said."

Posted by Sky's the limit for making money
a resident of Greenmeadow
on Oct 8, 2012 at 12:34 am

Architects work for developers. The bigger the building the more money the developer makes and the more money the architect makes. Yay!
Let the residents worry about later outcomes, traffic, crowding, schools.
And it takes more creativity and ingenuity to design a small building than a big one.

Posted by Sky's the limit for making money
a resident of Greenmeadow
on Oct 8, 2012 at 1:02 am

Pritchard lives in Cupertino.
Also she is now a member of the Garber - Young firm, composed mostly of members of the ARB and Planning Commission. So these boards which are supposed to make independent decisions about proposals to the city are rife with moral conflicts of interest. Corruption has become so open no one even notices it or remarks on it.
City Manager is busy cozying up to Arrillaga and Stanford, can't count on him to care.

Posted by Sky's the limit for making money
a resident of Greenmeadow
on Oct 8, 2012 at 1:28 pm

The Garber - Young private architectural firm, is composed mostly of members of the ARB and Planning Commission. Including Malone Pritchard.
City boards are supposed to make independent decisions about proposals to the city but they are rife with moral conflicts of interest.
Corruption has become so open no one even notices it or remarks on it.
But we notice the ugly large buildings they approve.
Bigger building = Bigger $$$ = Corruption

Posted by why have a plan?
a resident of Crescent Park
on Oct 8, 2012 at 1:46 pm

Palo Alto has a plan and zoning codes that include limits. The value of a plan is that everyone from residents to developers can know what the future holds and can plan on it. Decision makers are routinely ignoring the plans so the plans and planning process have become meaningless, and a joke. Everyone should contact the Council and say "enough". Then they should tell staff and the appointed ARB "enough".

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